In contrast to most pollution control strategies, which seek to manage a pollutant after it is formed and reduce its impact upon the environment, the pollution prevention approach seeks to increase the efficiency of a process, thereby reducing the amount of pollution generated at its source.

Economic Advantages

Savings in material and supply costs

Reduced waste disposal fees and treatment costs

More efficient work practices

Reduced liabilities

Elimination of expensive clean-up costs

Diminished need for on-site waste storage space

Improved Compliance with Regulations

Decreased pollution = improved compliance

Reductions decrease or eliminate the need for permits, manifesting, monitoring and reporting

A growing number of consumers consider a firm’s environmental record when making purchasing decisions Improved Employee Safety and Morale

Minimizes employees exposure to hazardous chemicals

Improved training leads to safer work practices

A safer and cleaner work environment can increase employee enthusiasm and productivity

Many employees appreciate an organization’s efforts to reduce waste and protect the environment

Cleaner Environment

Everyone benefits from cleaner air and water.

Other Productivity Tools

5S: Quality Environment

5S is a basic, fundamental, systematic approach for productivity, quality and safety improvement in all types of business. It is a system to reduce waste and optimize productivity through maintaining an orderly, clean and disciplined workplace and using visual cues to achieve more consistent operational results.

Quality circle is a permanent group of 4 to 10 employees from the same department having common objective to solve work-related problems by applying simple problem-solving tools. Problems can be either assigned or identified by the team themselves.

Employee Suggestion Scheme is a systematic approach to solicit creative ideas for improvement. The objectives of suggestion scheme are to establish a strong flow of two-way communication between management and employees and to improve productivity and quality of products and services of the organisation.

Industrial Engineering (IE) is concerned with design, improvement and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, equipment and energy. It draws upon specialized knowledge and skill in the mathematical, physical and social sciences together with the principles and methods of engineering analysis and design to predict and evaluate result to be obtained from such systems.

ISO 9000 is a series of standards, developed and published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), that define, establish, and maintain an effective quality assurance system for manufacturing and service industries.

QR is a management concept created to increase consumer satisfaction and survive increasing competition from new competitors. It intends to shorten the lead time from receiving an order to delivery of the products and increase the cash flow.

JIT is a management philosophy of continuous improvement and forced problem solving. Supplies and components in the production line are ‘pulled’ through the system to arrive where they are need when they are needed.

Total quality management can be summarized as a management system for a customer-focused organization that involves all employees in continual improvement. It uses strategy, data, and effective communications to integrate the quality discipline into the culture and activities of the organization.

Green Productivity (GP) is a strategy for simultaneously enhancing productivity and environmental performance for overall socio-economic development that leads to sustained improvement in the quality of human life.

Eco-efficiency is based on the withstanding principles of the use of high efficiency production technology and methods, the use of less natural resources and energy for the same amount of production and the production of less waste.

ISO 14000 is a family of standards related to environmental management that exists to help organizations minimize how their operations (processes, etc.) negatively affect the environment (i.e., cause adverse changes to air, water, or land); comply with applicable laws, regulations...

In contrast to most pollution control strategies, which seek to manage a pollutant after it is formed and reduce its impact upon the environment, the pollution prevention approach seeks to increase the efficiency of a process, thereby reducing the amount of pollution generated at its source.

Productivity measurement is basically a process of identifying the appropriate measures or metrics to be used, and the computation of their results to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the resources used.
Basically, productivity = output / input. Thus, measurement of both the output and input, using the productivity levers, are keys to enhancing productivity.